Sukta 14
Rishi: RV-derived; traditionally Vasiṣṭha-associated in AV 20 context
Devata: Indra (contextual)
Chandas: Gāyatrī/Anuṣṭubh-like short meter (RV-style; exact pada-count suggests a gāyatrī-type cadence)
Ce bref hymne à Indra (dérivé du Rigveda) invoque l’incomparable et robuste Maghavan comme l’auxiliaire de la communauté dans les joutes pour le vāja — victoire, force et prix de prospérité. En rappelant les dons « anciens » d’Indra et en louant sa générosité exaltée, le sūkta vise à convertir la louange et l’offrande en protection immédiate et en abondance de richesses, troupeaux de bovins et chevaux.
Kind of charm
Mantras
Mantra 1
व॒यमु॒ त्वाम॑पूर्व्य स्थू॒रं न कच्चि॒द् भर॑न्तोऽव॒स्यवः॑ । वाजे॑ चि॒त्रं ह॑वामहे
Nous, apportant les offrandes et désirant le secours, nous t’invoquons — l’Incomparable, le robuste, que nul nulle part ne surpasse ; nous appelons le Merveilleux pour le gain de force (vāja).
Mantra 2
उप॑ त्वा॒ कर्म॑न्नू॒तये॒ स नो॒ युवो॒ग्रश्च॑क्राम॒ यो धृ॒षत्। त्वामिद्ध्य॑वि॒तारं॑ ववृ॒महे॒ सखा॑य इन्द्र सान॒सिम्
Vers toi, dans le rite, pour l’aide nous avons avancé — vers le Jeune, le farouche, l’audacieux. Toi vraiment, puisque tu es le protecteur, nous te choisissons pour compagnon, ô Indra, vainqueur qui nous apporte le gain.
Mantra 3
यो न॑ इ॒दमि॑दं पु॒रा प्र वस्य॑ आनि॒नाय॒ तमु॑ व स्तुषे । सखा॑य॒ इन्द्र॑मू॒तये॑
Celui qui, depuis l’ancien temps, nous a apporté—à chacun, encore et encore—le don meilleur, celui-là, en vérité, je le célèbre pour vous, ô compagnons: Indra, pour notre secours.
Mantra 4
हर्य॑श्वं॒ सत्प॑तिं चर्षणी॒सहं॒ स हि ष्मा॒ यो अम॑न्दत । आ तु नः॒ स व॑यति॒ गव्य॒मश्व्यं॑ स्तो॒तृभ्यो॑ म॒घवा॑ श॒तम्
Aux coursiers fauves, seigneur des bons, dompteur des hommes—car c’est bien lui, l’exalté (par le soma). Qu’il nous dispense maintenant, à nous qui le louons, richesse de vaches et richesse de chevaux—le généreux Maghavan—au centuple.
Inside Sukta 14
How it unfolds
- How it opens
The hymn opens with a collective ‘we’ approaching Indra with offerings, calling him unrivalled and stout, and invoking him for the prize (vāja).
- What it asks
Indra is asked to provide succour as he did ‘of old’ and to dispense wealth—especially cattle and horses—abundantly to the praisers.
- Where its power lies
Efficacy is grounded in precedent: Indra’s earlier bestowals prove his reliable patronage, and praise is treated as the mechanism that activates his aid.
- How it closes
It culminates in the concrete grant: Maghavan is urged to ‘dispense’ (vayati) cattle-wealth and horse-wealth a hundredfold to the stotras (praisers).
Famous verses
vāje citraṃ havāmahe
indraṃ ūtaye
gavyam aśvyaṃ … maghavā śatam
Kind of hymn
Paustika / Saṃgrāmika (gain of vāja) with protective undertone
What it is for
To win the prize of strength (vāja), gain abundant cattle and horses, and ensure Indra’s protective succour for the group through praise and offering.
Who it is for
Householders, clan-leaders, and warriors/companions (sakhāyaḥ) seeking success in contests, raids, assemblies, or any competitive pursuit of wealth and status.
Also used as
- Saṃgrāmika
- Rakṣoghna
The deity
Indra here is the unmatched champion and generous patron: the overpowerer of men, friend of comrades, and dispenser of the contest-prize (vāja) and pastoral wealth.
Powers of the deity
- Unrivalled strength and victory-bestowal (vāja-dāna)
- Protection and succour (ūti/avas) for the praising group
- Dispensing cattle-wealth and horse-wealth in abundance
- Overpowering foes and stabilizing the community’s success
- Responding to praise and offering with generosity (maghavatva)
Why the deity is called
He is invoked to secure timely aid and protection in competitive/war-like settings and to obtain tangible prosperity—especially cattle and horses—for the offering-bearing praisers.
The seer
- Vasiṣṭha (RV-lineage attribution; AVŚ 20 compilation context)Angiras. Indra-stuti used as paustika-samgrāmika charm: praise-based rites for vāja (competitive success), protection of the troop, and acquisition of cattle/horse wealth through divine patronage
Other hymns of this seer
- AVŚ 20.13
- AVŚ 20.14
- AVŚ 20.15
Preparing for the rite
- Establish a clean recitation space; seat the reciter facing east or north.
- Prepare a simple offering: ghee or food-oblation, or at minimum a respectful presentation of praise as ‘offering-bearing’ (bharantaḥ).
- If following RV-style praxis, set a small fire or lamp; keep water for sipping/ācamanam.
The rite
- Recite the four mantras in order, audibly and steadily, with emphasis on invoking Indra as ‘apūrvya’ (unrivalled) and ‘Maghavan’ (bounteous).
- Optionally accompany recitation with a small oblation at the opening and at the final verse requesting cattle/horse wealth.
- Conclude with a brief personal petition naming the desired vāja (victory/prize) and protection for the group.
What it needs
- Ghee or simple oblation (optional)
- Water for purification
- Offerings/food token representing ‘vāja’ (optional: grain, curds, or a symbolic prize)
When
Before contests, departures, assemblies, or at dawn; also suitable on auspicious days when seeking gain (paustika).
The main substance
Oblation/praise-offering (ghee or food; soma implied in Indra’s exhilaration)
How it is prepared
Keep the offering simple and ‘portable’ (bharantaḥ): a small ghee oblation or food token; recite while presenting it, then conclude with a final offering at the wealth-request verse.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is mainly a prosperity-and-victory hymn: it calls Indra to grant vāja (success/prize/strength), protect the group, and bestow cattle and horses in abundance.
To build ritual certainty: if Indra repeatedly gave boons in the past, the same Indra can be relied upon now when praised and invoked for succour (ūti).
No special herbs or amulets are required. A simple offering (like ghee or a food token) is optional; the hymn itself treats sincere praise and invocation as the key ‘offering’.
Ask anything about Sukta 14 of the Atharva Veda
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